North India shivers with cold, Rajasthan's Sikar records lowest minimum temp -0.5 degrees Celsius

New Delhi: Cold wave continued its grip over North India on Thursday with dense fog shrouded major cities, including Delhi, reducing visibility and impacting air and train travel.
Delhi shivered with overall temperature recorded at 8.8-degree Celsius temperature on Thursday as fog engulfed the city.
Palam Observatory, reported a visibility level of 100 metres at 5:30 am which improved to 500 metres by 7 am due to surface winds.
Safdarjung weather station recorded 5.8 degree Celsius minimum on Thursday at 830 am with a departure of 1.6 degrees Celsius from yesterday. Palam and Lodi Road each recorded 7.2 degree Celsius and 5.6 degree Celsius respectively. The Ridge logged a 6.2 degree Celsius minimum. Ayanagar, the coldest of the lot, saw mercury plunge to a bone-chilling 6 degrees Celsius, a stark contrast to its 8.6 degree Celsius just 48 hours prior.
The homeless flocked to shelter homes to spend the night and escape the cold.
Visual from Anand Vihar showed people gathered around a bonfire to keep warm.
Moreover, in Srinagar temperature dipped to minus 5 degree Celsius.
In Motihari district, Bihar, a sixth-grade student lost his life due to the ongoing cold wave. The student, identified as Manish Kumar, reportedly collapsed during morning prayers at his school. Although rushed to the local hospital, he succumbed to the harsh weather conditions
Mount Abu, nestled amidst the rugged Aravalli hills, has been gripped by a sudden, sharp dip in temperature. Dropping from a balmy +4°C on Tuesday to a bone-chilling -3°C this Thursday morning, the picturesque hill station has witnessed a dramatic shift in weather within just two days.
This rapid plunge has brought with it a biting cold, blanketing the landscape in a pristine layer of snow. Windscreens of parked vehicles, grassy fields, and even outdoor furniture have become canvas for the delicate frost, painting a scene of wintery wonder.
The mercury in Sikar district plunged below freezing, reaching a bone-chilling minus 0.5 degrees Celsius at Fatehpur Agricultural Research Centre. Residents huddle around bonfires and bundle themselves in warm layers, seeking respite from the biting cold under clear skies. Meteorologists warn of even harsher conditions in the coming days.
Thick fog descended on over 40 districts in Madhya Pradesh, disrupting daily life and reducing visibility. While rain brought some relief to a dozen districts, Bhopal endured a chilly day, with the temperature plummeting to 10 degrees Celsius. Nighttime temperatures are expected to remain constant in the coming days.
" The fog will remain like this for one or two days, after which the weather will become dry. There is a western disturbance in North India that will be active on January 12, due to which the temperature will remain like this for one or two days. There is only a chance of a drop in temperature; it will increase slightly by one or two degrees in 13-14. The weather is likely to be dry. Among the lowest figures received so far, Gwalior has recorded 5.5 degrees Celsius," said the S. N. Sahu Meteorological Centre, Bhopal.
Meanwhile, as many as 24 trains were dare expected to arrive late in Delhi on Thursday due to fog in several parts of the country, railway officials said.
As per the Northern Railway, at least four trains are running late by about 4 hours, namely Katihar-Amritsar Express, the Azamgarh-Delhi Junction Kaifiyat Express, Kamakhya-Delhi Junction Brahmputra Mail and Seoni-Ferozpur Express.
Four trains, including the Bhubneshwar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express, Secunderabad-Nizamuddin, Chennai-New Delhi GT, and Manikpur-Nizamuddin Express, are likely to arrive late by about 2.15 hours, while the Ajmer-Katra Pooja Express is running late by 6 hours, as per railway data.
At least 13 trains are running late by around 1-1.15 hours, including Dibrugarh-New Delhi Rajdhani Express, Banglore-New Delhi Rajdhani Express, Bhubneshwar-New Delhi Duront, Puri-New Delhi Purushottam Express, Prayagraj-New Delhi Express, Maa Belhi Devi Dham Pratapgarh-Delhi Junction, Chennai-New Delhi Express and Islampur-New Delhi Magadh Express.
Further, two trains, namely the Saharsa-New Delhi Vaishali Express and Ambedkarnagar-Katra Express, are likely to arrive late in Delhi by almost 3.15 hours, as per the railway data.
As per India Meteorological Department data, dense fog is likely to continue to prevail during the morning hours in isolated pockets of northwest India during the next three to four days.
IMD further stated that cold day to severe cold day conditions are likely to reduce over northwest India from today.
Earlier, on Wednesday, minimum temperatures were in the range of 5-10 °C over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, and 11-13 °C over Madhya Pradesh and Bihar. These are normal (-1.0°C to +1.0°C) at many places over Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, West Uttar Pradesh and above normal by 2-4°C over Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and East Uttar Pradesh and below normal by -1.0°C to -3.0°C at many places over Rajasthan. The lowest minimum temperature of 3.8 °C was reported at Sikar on Wednesday (East Rajasthan).
Yesterday, cold day to severe cold day conditions prevailed at most places over Punjab, at many places over Haryana and Chandigarh, in some parts of Rajasthan and at isolated Pockets over North Madhya Pradesh. Cold day conditions prevailed at few places over Delhi and at isolated pockets over Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
The Meteorological Centre in Bhubaneswar predicted that shallow to moderate fog is very likely to occur at a few places over the districts of Coastal Odisha and North Interior Odisha, and at one or two places over the districts of South Interior Odisha in the next two days.
Senior Scientist of IMD Bhubaneswar Uma Shankar Das said, "We have issued warning for the next two days. Particularly, south coastal parts and adjoining north coastal districts have been warned. During the fog, the visibility will be below 200 metres, so those who are in transportation sectors are advised to take the necessary steps..."
"Fog conditions observed (at 0530 & 0830 hours IST): Very Dense fog (visibility < 50
metre) during morning hours in some parts of Punjab, East Uttar Pradesh, and East Rajasthan; in isolated pockets of Haryana-Chandigarh, West Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha; Dense fog (visibility 50-200 metre) in isolated pockets of Jammu Division, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, north Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal & Sikkim, Meghalaya and Tripura." IMD released on Wednesday.